The Yankees had plenty of chances to beat the Cleveland Guardians on Tuesday night in a 12-inning 9-5 loss, but poor discipline and lapses in judgment ultimately hurt them down the stretch. After Luis Gil left the game following just three innings, in which he walked six batters and allowed three earned runs, the Yankees had to rely heavily on their bullpen.
The Yankees Had Several Chances to Win
The pitching staff held their own until Tim Mayza and Michael Tonkin gave up five earned runs to close out the game, putting the Yankees in a position from which they simply couldn’t recover. This marks the second extra-inning loss in three days, an unsustainable pace given the heavy use of their relief arms.
Tight Race in the AL East
The Yankees are only 0.5 games behind the Baltimore Orioles in the American League East, making it imperative for them to start playing complete games and closing out tight contests. The race to the finish line is red-hot, and the Yankees can’t afford to falter in key moments.
Offensive Woes: Time to Bench Verdugo and LeMahieu?
If the Yankees want to improve their chances of winning, they need to consider benching both Alex Verdugo and DJ LeMahieu, who combined for 0 hits over 11 at-bats on Tuesday. The bottom half of the order was largely ineffective, with the exception of Anthony Volpe, who managed to contribute a walk and continues to work his way back to a 30% on-base rate for the season.
Verdugo went 0-for-6 and LeMahieu 0-for-5 in the contest, making it questionable at best that manager Aaron Boone continues to rely on them despite better options being available. The Yankees recently called up Jasson Dominguez only to demote him the very next day, but there’s a strong argument that the 21-year-old outfielder should be playing every day in September. Verdugo is having a career-worst season in a contract year, and expecting him to turn things around in the playoffs seems overly optimistic at this point.
Aaron Judge Continues to Shine Amidst Team Struggles
Superstar slugger Aaron Judge continues to dominate, contributing two hits, three RBIs, and a homer, elevating his season stats to .332/.463/.709. Remarkably, even when combining Verdugo and LeMahieu’s slugging percentages, they still don’t match Judge’s (.608 to .709), underscoring their lack of production.
Rotation Concerns: Luis Gil’s Injury Adds to Woes
The Yankees are now facing a potential rotation problem, with Luis Gil leaving the game due to a lower back injury. The severity of the injury is yet to be determined, but it’s certainly a difficult development for the team.
Missed Opportunities: A Game Full of Regrets
Despite the late-inning collapse, the bullpen looked solid for the most part, giving the Yankees ample opportunities to win the game. At one point, Volpe doubled to center field and stole third base with no outs, yet the Yankees still couldn’t bring him home.
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Time for Boone to Make Bold Moves
There’s a lot left to be desired, and the mistakes in this game simply can’t be justified. Boone needs to shake things up immediately. Both Verdugo and LeMahieu should be on a very short leash moving forward, if not benched outright, due to their lack of contribution.